


The Luminous Fish Progression

by clumsyghost



Category: The Big Bang Theory (TV)
Genre: Established Relationship, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-07
Updated: 2017-10-07
Packaged: 2019-01-09 23:17:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 583
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12286290
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/clumsyghost/pseuds/clumsyghost
Summary: Takes place after "The Luminous Fish Effect".A million thanks to Inouken for the wonderful beta.





	The Luminous Fish Progression

**Author's Note:**

> Takes place after "The Luminous Fish Effect".
> 
> A million thanks to Inouken for the wonderful beta.

“Hm…? What’s troubling you?” Leonard paused his video game as his roommate’s words belatedly sunk in. He made a half-hearted gesture of looking over his shoulder. Sheldon was kneeling in front of the aquarium that stood beside the card catalog.

“Nothing; I said we **have** a troubling.” The excitement in Sheldon’s voice was reason enough for Leonard to put down his controller and twist in his seat. Perceiving Leonard’s uncomprehending squint, Sheldon made a noise of disdain.

“The collective noun for goldfish is called a troubling or a glint; honestly, Leonard, if you would read my weekly email updates, you could keep up in the conversation.”

“Wait, the eggs hatched?” Leonard asked.

“Your comprehension skills are astonishing.” 

Leonard rolled his eyes, but otherwise refrained from commenting as he made his way to the aquarium. Hundreds of tiny black specks were floating around. In separate bowls, Landau and Zippy stared hungrily at the chaos they had spawned. Glub glub. 

“Oh,” Leonard replied faintly. He suddenly had a flashback of lugging the forty gallon tank up the stairwell. The weight hadn’t posed so much of an issue as the dimensions. Within a week after Sheldon was rehired, Mrs. Cooper departed, and the loom had done the same. The luminous fish, on the other hand, had surprisingly remained in the apartment. Sheldon’s pride in his creation had prolonged his obsession, and after several casual hints, Leonard had given up and accepted his fate as co-owner of one genetically modified goldfish. 

Fish DNA wasn’t the only altered subject in apartment 4A, either. The ‘no pets’ section in the roommate agreement had to be amended. Sheldon had insisted his living night-lights fell under the ‘service animal’ clause, and once they moved Landau the goldfish into its new tank in the living room, the claim was inarguable. A second fish, inexplicably named Zippy, soon followed. Next came eggs, and now it appeared that glow in the dark pets was just going to be their _thing_.

He placed a hand on Sheldon’s shoulder. “Congrats, buddy. Looks like Aquaman will have to double up his patrol.”

Both men’s gaze was drawn to the figurine currently chilling by some ruins in the far corner. The idea of replicating Atlantis in their aquarium had come from Howard, but the placement of its protector had grown into a playful match between Leonard and Sheldon. The game had begun without intention; while cleaning the tank, Leonard had failed to return Aquaman to his designated spot. Sheldon had corrected his oversight, and after a while, Leonard began to purposely maneuver the figurine around the tank. Over the course of a few weeks, Aquaman had been found fighting the local aquatic statue, hiding among the plants, practicing headstands, even trying to scale the tank walls. One day, to make Sheldon smile, Atlantis bore a miniature version of their apartment flag. And on a completely separate occasion, Arthur Curry was discovered in a compromising position with a scuba diver; Sheldon’s disapproving look had gradually morphed as Leonard knelt in front of him and replicated the Atlantean’s carnal act. Totally worth the nine-ninety-nine on Amazon.

“Be that as it may,” Sheldon interrupted Leonard’s private reminiscing,“as my experiment continues, I will rely more heavily on the nurturing side of your personality rather than the whimsical, however endearing your efforts to amuse me.”

“That was surprisingly… sentimental,” Leonard cleared his throat. A shy smile formed as he shifted his gaze to the aquarium.

“Leonard….”

“Yeah, buddy?”

“Turn off the lights!”


End file.
